Monday, February 19, 2007

Sometimes a simple "HT" for a post idea isn't enough. Such is the case with this dandy below which we first saw on EDSBS and many of you emailed to tell us about.

Apparently, Nike sponsored a contest between Ohio State and Florida to see which student body could run the most in January. The winning school got to erect a statue of their mascot on the losing school's campus.

Well, once again Florida came out on top. And Buckeye fans welcomed that statue as they welcome all visitors to Columbus...

UPDATE: We've received some comments from Buck fans regarding this post, upset because they claim it was actually a set-up by Nike to cast them in a bad light. They even claim one of the destroyers of the statue is a Nike employee.However, the "proof" offered in our comments section for these claims is a letter to the editor by an irate OSU fan on Dispatch.com, the Columbus Dispatch's website. In it, the writer offers quotes "proving" his point. But checking the NikePlus.com site, the folks who ran the contest, I couldn't find any mention of the quotes used to support the letter writer's claims. Thus, some guy saying it in a Letter to the Editor doesn't make it true.

If this was a set-up all along and one of the people filmed destroying the statue is a Nike employee, Buck fans have a beef. But again, a person claiming such facts without providing the source, doesn't make it so. Thus, if anybody can provide something other than a letter to the editor as proof, we'd love to see it.

While college students are often destructive, they are also creative. I would expect that at Michigan or with many other rivalry schools, the statue would have been painted or given an inappropriate prop.

Not so at OSU, where their natural instict is to walk up an kick it in the nuts... unless that guy was just frustrated because he couldn't read the placard.

3 points:1) i've lived in OH for 12 years, and (at some point) i was a visitor, and i've never been assaulted (or even insulted). So not "all visitors" are treated with disdain, just the ones that chose to act in a manner that isn't liked.

2) i'm an OSU grad student, and i run 5 times a week. This blog is the first time that i've heard of the "running bet" b/w OSU and UF, so i'm assuming my 30 miles a week weren't counted. As such i demand a re-count! (those damn Floridians always cheat). On a serious note: if it's not really publicized to the students you can't consider it a fair bet, so UF students putting the GATOR in the middle of frat row is just a giant insult (this location also wasn't optimal, but that's another story).3) this point is small, and was already touched on: as a runner you don't need much incentive to run in Gainesville in January. Columbus weather on the other hand has been brutal, and i even broke out my cross country skis for a couple of weeks b/c running knee deep in snow isn't all that exciting for me. I'm not making excuses, but however made this bet must have been a representative of our undergraduate student gov't (pretty disconnected from both reality and the people they "govern"). So if you think that the playing surface wasn't leveled at the 'Shoe on Nov. 18, maybe you should consider fairness of "playing surface" in this bet.

Nike set up OSU students to look like assholes on camera and somehow OSU students/fans lack class. Grow up. Out of 60,000 students they could get one to drop kick the thing by promising him he'll be on TV and then Nike employees finished the statue destruction (making it look like they're students). This is somehow OSU's fault. And how about the lame "who can log more miles with their Ipod/Nike running shoes". I'm sure OSU not only challenged the Gators but defined the terms of the bet, too (if you can't figure it out there's a bit of sarcasm in my last sentence).

The statue was surely provocative, but if it were in A2, we UM students would definitely do something smarter than simply destroy it. Maybe put an Iraqi flag and a noose over its head or something, hell I don't know.

ok, for the final time: OSU students had nothing to do with the statue destruction. If you read the comments left here by fellow bloggers, there's a link to the description of the story. So that you don't have to look for it i'll paste it again:

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=245012

Nike staged the destruction and made it look like OSU students. This is a fact. They should be ashamed of themselves for promoting violence at a place like OSU where (as most have correctly pointed out) violence is a real problem, especially in connection to football.

It's true, OHIO STATE FANS CAN GET VIOLENT. But, this had nothing to do with OSU fans/students.

Web-only letters to the editorThe Columbus DispatchTuesday, February 6, 2007Dispatch.com regularly will post letters to the editor that don't make it to print in The Dispatch. Unlike letters to the editor that appear the newspaper, Web-only letters have not been edited.

Nike

On Thursday, February 1, outside of local businesses on the corner of 15th Ave. and High Street the Nike Corporation set up a 6 to 7 foot Styrofoam and wood likeness of "Albert" the Gator, the mascot for Florida University. This was done through a "fair" and agreed upon competition through nikeplus.com between the two Universities. The winner of the contest needed to have logged more miles running with Nike's running shoes designed for ipods. The Ohio State University lost this contest and thus had to have the Florida Gator mascot set up near campus.

Nike's purpose of setting up the display was and I quote "to film the reactions of students destroying it." The film crew was basically encouraging people (many of whom were OSU students heading to class) to engage in an act of destruction and violence. After the display had been set up for about 3 hours the film crew grew restless because they were not getting the footage they needed. The only footage that was available was of many students walking up to the display with a puzzled look on their faces. Many walked away after reading the plague explaining how we lost the competition and taking pictures without doing any harm to the display. Three to four people gave the gator a playful kick, but nothing close to the kicks of former OSU kicker Mike Nugget.

Finally one hapless OSU student happened to wonder by the display. Upon seeing the camera crew, he asked them what they were doing. The crew told the student they were filming a commercial for Nike showing the destruction of the display by OSU students. After hearing this, the student walked over to the display and ripped the gator from its foundation and preceded to body slam it. After taking a break, the student came back with what appeared to be another OSU student. This was not true by any means. This so called "student" was in fact a member of the film crew. This member, who was the youngest looking one on the Nike staff, looked to be the same age as the average college student. He came out of one of the local businesses, where the film crew was set up, wielding a baseball bat and started to pummel the gator likeness repeatedly. It was discovered that he was with the film crew when he started to help take down a microphone by the display, and when he was involved in the clean up of the display and put away the camera equipment.

Unfortunately the other 50,000+ OSU students and millions of Buckeyes fans across the nation who did not participate in this act will be labeled as violent and disrespectful by the nation when this commercial will air. Further more, this misrepresentation of OSU will rekindle the previous acts of violence done by OSU students and fans and bring those acts back into the spot light after the University and fans had worked hard to replace this image with a fan base that had a good time cheering on their beloved Buckeyes without doing harm to other persons, properties, or institutions symbols and images.

So, congratulations to the Nike Corporation and the film crews for having one student of the university represent his other 59,090 students plus over 400,000 living alumni and millions of countless Buckeye fans. Kudos to the film crew member of the Emmy winning performance as a student. I would also like to congratulate the director of the commercial with getting the true "authentic" and "realistic" reactions of OSU students and fans.

Yes, I saw the Dispatch.com letter to the editor. But it doesn't prove anything. What is the source of the "to film the reactions of students destroying it." I couldn't find it on NikePlus, the folks who ran the contest. Some guy saying it in a Letter to the Editor doesn't make it true.

And where is the proof that the person destroying the thing was a Nike employee? That would really look bad but, again, where's the proof?

If true, Buck fans have a beef. But again, a person claiming such facts w/out providing the source, doesn't make it so.

No offense, Yost, but your source (EDSBS) isn't any more credible than a letter to the editor that's provided in the Dispatch. Thank you for at least acknowledging that there're 2 sides (potentially) to this story. A reasonable fan will know what's true and what's not, since the whole thing is basically a commercial for Nike (i'm not sure in which way however).

the "video" you're referring to is a commercial advertisedment. Pardon my cynicism (sp?) but i'm not going to take it at face value. If you would like to be naive and take it at face value, you can, but in that case i might have a couple of bridges to sell you.As far as my source, the "letter to the editor", i don't know the person that wrote it, but i'm assuming it was just an observer. This letter is a depiction of what the observer saw when the commercial was being shot (more than what the Nike camera will show you). I chose to beleive him/her, just like you chose not too.We can agree to disagree.

Ohio State has more excuses than any program or school I have ever seen. Their thugs destroy a statue and it ``was staged.'' Teflon Tressel and his endless lies and cheating has made that school what it is. Miami North. Now your students are acting like the thugs your football players are.

No it doesnt, but it sure as hell doesnt help the opinion thats been formulated from all of the other moronic things those fucksticks do. I mean come on, just this year for example, 40 arrested after the game. Thats a high quality fan base. The only thing I havent seen yet is the episode of COPS from that day. Your fucking fans are about as high class as the Miami, I mean Thug U football team.

you have no idea if any of the arrested were UM fans, so reserve your judgement for someone who cares about it. One more thing you haven't seen from that day is a victory over the Bucks. Since you can't beat the football team (even with the trip to the NC game on the line) you will now talk about "classless OSU fans". I think the reason people call UM fans elitist isn't b/c they have more $$$ than others (they don't). It's b/c whenever you loose you try to cover up the shame with your patented "we're still better than them because their fans are thugs".

If you go to nikeplus.com and click on "community" you see a button that reads, "Go to Nike+ channel to laugh at the consequences." You then get a screen that reads, "Watch our consequence videos for some cringe-worthy inspiration . . ." So, if the "mascot" is not ripped apart it makes for some pretty boring video. That and the fact it lasted 5 hours lends credibility to people eventually being encouraged to take it apart by those operating the video camera.

Yost,i'm not sure what "trolling" even means, but i like your blog so i check it to get news about college football. As far as me posting anonymously, you getting a screen name doesn't make you any less anonymous. And it's not elitist that you know how to spell something, it's elitist to point it out when something is mispelled. You're not my 5th grade teacher, and i don't have time to proof read stuff i post here.

Hey moron, we can beat your football team. In the all-time head to head matchup, and you sure you fit right in with all the other idiots down there who think only the last six games count, we have one once. That means we did beat you!!!! YAHOOEE If we win this year tho, it will be 1-0 Michigan. All Time. You guys will have never beaten us. Man, we can run our mouth like we are the shit. Look out. You know what I mean. Like when they wore leather helmets that didnt count. Im not sure what it was, but it wasnt football. You guys rock. Thats soooo coooool. Get a life.

Anon 7:34, while you do have a point, remember this: UM has not beaten OSU since the creation of this site. This site is notorious for posting these types of anti OSU fan material. He may have concluded that the former relates directly to the later.

I don't neccessarily agree with that line of thinking though...because this is a U of M site, so seeing anti OSU material doesn't surprise me, regardless of recent games played.

Of course, that doesn't stop me from coming here. It's great to laugh at the other funny stuff here, and to defend my school when it is put down.

i know history and i know that OSU record against Michigan is not in our favor. I was simply refering to this site always putting OSU fans down (rather than the football team).

There're plenty of classless individuals among both fan bases, and that's not something i'm going to argue against. But when our whole fan base is getting dumped on without any facts to back it up, i do have a problem with it, even when it comes from a UM (anti-OSU) site.

And please hold on to your statistics about the number of arrests in C-bus on game day, the number of powdered doughnuts that were thrown at your sick grandmother when she was headed to the game and your videos of Albert being worked over by the baseball bat. None of these incidents involved all of OSU fans.

Other than that, i love this blog, it's the only non-OSU blog that i read for my college football news.

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